I'd admittedly put myself in that category. I would buy the Pro Max because I could and it was the "best". When I took an honest look at my usage, the Air will suit me fine and fit in a coat pocket comfortably!
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iPhone Air People Just Don’t Get the Point of the iPhone Air
- Thread starter Sami13496
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My wife pointed out that I am not a Pro user and asked me questions about my use and said why didn't I get a base 16 instead of the Pro.
That's when it hit me that she was correct.
Air is perfect for my light use.
Exactly my point. People saying they’re buying 17 Air because it’s light - it’s not THAT light. Buy it for the bigger screen, sure! But if the base 17 is too heavy then perhaps Air isn’t the best choice either.
120 hz is the game changer this year, at least for me; and the brighter screen, and the lighter weight. But the Air's beauty is what drew me in almost immediately....enough to still buy it if they had kept the non-pro's at 60 hz? Probably not. So it's all about the refresh rate.
I would venture to guess this applies to more of us than not. I know it does me.
Looking forward to your reports on the Air when you get it.
I think the screen size of 6.5 is the happy medium for many people. The 6.3 on the 16 Pro is a hair too small, but the 6.7 on the 16 Plus was massive, and now the Pro's are 6.9
, almost need two hands to hold the thing.I've compared the weights because I used to hold onto my older phones, it's on par with my purple 12. The people at the event said it's not so much that it's super light by itself, unless being compared side by side with the Pro's, especially the half pound brick 17 PM.
Did you order one too ?I would venture to guess this applies to more of us than not. I know it does me.
Looking forward to your reports on the Air when you get it.
I'm on the fence. I want to keep my 103% health iPhone 15 Pro Max but the Air interests me. I think I will wait to see your review and others - then do the in store swap if I decide to
.My only thing is, I do use the 5x camera a bit (I'm here in Lake Tahoe as I write this and am enjoying that) - but I could easily get by with the air.
I think I'd use my phone more if I had an Air - the Pro Max is just not comfortable to hold for long periods of time. If I get an air I'd use it for reading and everything - replacing my iPad mini.
16 Plus: 6,69”
Air: 6,55”
Yes, for me it’s a small downgrade. Even so, the improvement over the iPhone 17 is double that.
But, we need to be serious…
16 Plus screen vs Air:
-60 Hz vs 120 Hz (there would be no need to continue…)
-No AOD vs AOD
-2.000 nits peak vs 3.000 nits
-No anti-reflective coating vs anti-reflective coating
And others points:
165 gr vs 199 gr
5,6 mm vs 7,78 mm
256 GB base model vs 128 GB
New selfie camera (same as 17 Pros)
A19 Pro vs A18
Ceramic Shield 2 vs Ceramic Shield 1
Ceramic Shield on the back only in the Air
New chip N1 and C1X
12 GB RAM vs 8 GB
Clearly more premium to the eye
…
For me, 16 Plus is not even in the same league…60 Hz… No way…
But it’s true, with a 16 Plus someone can take 0,5x and macro photos. That’s true.
I don’t necessarily think that is the case, I see plenty of complaints that phones have gotten too bulky and heavy.
12 years ago Apple’s flagship phone was 112G, now the top of the line flagship is almost 240G (over double) and 1.2 MM thicker.
To pretend that people aren’t wanting more portable again, especially as phones become foldable and flipable etc, is silly.
Sure, it’s not as dramatic as the need for thinner laptops was in 2008, but it’s still there.
I prefer the second camera to all of this. But I respect your point.
Weight and thickness isn’t a problem to me. I got the 256GB so the base model is not an issue. Also: price. The price is the same for a 256GB model.
The chip is negligible, but the front camera is cool. I’ve always thought my 16 Plus’ selfie camera could be a little better.
The rest is all negligible barring RAM, except for me since I don’t update iOS and I don’t suffer the increased power consumption with new updates. Still, I’ll give you that one: my use case is practically unheard of.
I don’t care about ProMotion but it’s cool to have, that one is perhaps the biggest upgrade. I know some people require 120hz so I’d understand, but I’m not sure it’s enough to sacrifice the second camera. At least for me.
Regardless, it loses squarely vs the regular 17, which except for RAM has everything you mentioned.
Vs the 16 Plus, the camera losses, for me (and this is my opinion), offset everything else.
I used my Xʀ for six years. No more single-lens iPhones for me.
Because I prefer the latter and I’m not sure the CPU difference means much. I’ll give you RAM for long term users, though.
I’d still get the regular 17.
I prefer the 16 Plus over the Air. In my view, it definitely doesn’t have much vs the regular 17. But that’s why no opinions are wrong: we can all choose what we like.
Yeah, this and the higher transfer rate USB are the only things that would make me hesitate buying anything other than the pro model. I use the 5x zoom all the time. Bring those two features over to the other models and I wouldn't need to go Pro anymore.
You are literally just making this up.
Even if we accept your theory that the Air might run warm… where on earth do you get the idea that it will just “shut down”?
Even amongst all of the complaining back when the 15 Pro released about heat, I never, not once, saw someone say that it got so hot that it “shut down”.
You are literally just stirring the pot.
People seem to not get this, it is literally not just about the weight, but also about the distribution.I think the screen size of 6.5 is the happy medium for many people. The 6.3 on the 16 Pro is a hair too small, but the 6.7 on the 16 Plus was massive, and now the Pro's are 6.9
I've compared the weights because I used to hold onto my older phones, it's on par with my purple 12. The people at the event said it's not so much that it's super light by itself, unless being compared side by side with the Pro's, especially the half pound brick 17 PM.
It’s a big phone, about as big as the Pro Max’s, but it is lighter than the standard iPhone, which is significantly smaller.
It is lighter, and bigger. Therefore, the lightness will feel even more dramatic in the hand.
Even compared to the 16+, which had a screen only 0.14 inches bigger, the Air is 34 G (or over an ounce) lighter while being similar dimensions.
This is one of those funny things about the air discussion. It loses squarely to the regular 17 as long as you don’t factor in form factor at all.
If someone doesn’t value the change in form factor even if they were identical specs to the 17, the air would seem pointless to them.
And you know what, that’s ok.
For me we have reached a point where literally any smart phone in the last 3-4 years could work for the majority of my use case and so every new purchase is not about needing something to be useable. It’s about improving small aspects of the phone for me.
This time around the form factor improves my overall experience with the phone in a much greater way than any small aspect it loses.
I will just be happy if it is more pocketable than either of the pro models
I actually changed my mind and decided to get an air. Coming from 15pro. I wanted something lighter and more slim.
Ah s###. I might like the Air. Even I gotta admit this thing looks the right kind of crazy.
This is a comparison I would have not thought of if not for my personal experience buying the 16e as an occasional use secondary phone to my main iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Dimensions
146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm - iPhone 16e
156.2 x 74.7 x 5.6 mm - iPhone Air
Internal specs aside, just for the sake of pocket-ability
iPhone 16e no camera plateau or bump just the minimal lens protrusion. Shorter more compact.
iPhone Air rather significant camera plateau also housing major components. Taller wider and thinner.
Yes the Air is great looking, amazingly thin, but when the newness wears off will I find it better than the 16e?
Dimensions
146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm - iPhone 16e
156.2 x 74.7 x 5.6 mm - iPhone Air
Internal specs aside, just for the sake of pocket-ability
iPhone 16e no camera plateau or bump just the minimal lens protrusion. Shorter more compact.
iPhone Air rather significant camera plateau also housing major components. Taller wider and thinner.
Yes the Air is great looking, amazingly thin, but when the newness wears off will I find it better than the 16e?
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Apple did make compromises to get that lighter thinner package though.
It's just a matter of what features are more important to you.
Mind, I find more RAM quite useful but frankly, I haven't really felt much difference with faster CPUs since the iPhone 13.
Battery and price are the main sticking points for me with the Air. My SE3 dies quickly and if I'm going to get a bigger, heavier device, I want something with much better battery life than my old phone.
This is some solid food for thought. The 16e is my favorite design since the OGSE, hands down.
Stepping back looking at the big picture, how I use the phone (working in tech, phone use is heavy) and how much I value a compact phone, the 16e has been a pleasant surprise.
While it cannot replace my iPhone 16 Pro Max due to demands of my workflow, as a companion on my second line it’s a very enjoyable phone.
Everyone’s needs are different. I have 14P and Air appears to have slightly better battery life. I only occasionally run out of juice and when I do, dropping it on a MagSafe for 20 minutes while doing other things solves the problem.
A lot of times when my battery is getting beaten up the culprit is a particular app and that would crush my battery regardless of which phone I was using.